The people of Congo need our help. They are being terrorised - murder and rape are rife, hundreds of thousands have fled their homes caught between the brutal violence of both rebels and the Congolese army, without food or shelter. Only the hesitating EU can deploy an effective, neutral force in the next two weeks.There's no military solution, but right now a neutral force in the region to protect civilians, helping to reconstruct the UN peacekeeping presence and putting real diplomatic pressure on Congo and neighbouring countries will greatly boost our chances of stopping this humanitarian crisis and starting to build a lasting peace. So sign the petition below and spread the word - it will be sent to key European and international officials once we have reached 100,000 signatures:

PETITION - To EU and UN Security Council leaders:We urge you to address the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Congo by supporting the immediate deployment of a neutral European force to protect civilians from rape, murder and starvation and secure humanitarian access - United Nations peacekeepers are crying out for this help, and it would provide impetus for them to play a more effective and balanced role in Congo. UN, EU and African officials should step up political engagement to strengthen the peace processes, acting as honest brokers and guarding against partisanship and exploitation.

A puppy mill is a breeding facility that mass produces puppies for sale. There are thousands of puppy mills across the country, producing over 2 million puppies per year. These facilities, most of which are inspected and licensed by the U.S.D.A., are notorious for their filthy, overcrowded conditions and the unhealthy animals they produce. Many of the dogs suffer from malnutrition and exposure; usually remaining outside year round, enduring both freezing temperatures in the winter and intense heat in the summer. Cat breeding occurs on a smaller scale and under similar conditions

PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK:FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE HORRORS OF PUPPY MILLS.WHAT YOU CAN DO TO END THEIR SUFFERING!

WARNING! PHOTO IMAGES & READING CONTENT MAY BE UPSETTING TO SOME VIEWERS.

Friday, November 14, 2008

TWO hundred rare silverback mountain gorillas are facing slaughter in the Congo after rangers protecting them fled the civil war.

The endangered great apes — one of man’s closest relatives — live in the Virunga National Park.But it is now in an area of the Democratic Republic controlled by rebels led by General Laurent Nkunda.

The Rumangabo Park headquarters, from which gorilla conservation operations were controlled, was overrun last month.

More than 50 wildlife rangers fled for their lives to regional capital Goma.The gorillas were last night at the mercy of ruthless hordes happy to slaughter them for bush meat or their pelts — or even for fun.

Nkunda’s men sparked an international outcry last year when they shot dead ten mountain gorillas, including two silverbacks.

There are just 720 silverbacks left on Earth.

The situation is doubly grave because mountain gorillas — which weigh more than 30 stone — have never been able to breed in captivity.

Samantha Newport, of the Virunga National Park, said: “The ones we have in the wild, that’s it. When they’re gone, they’ve gone. No one is looking after them.”

Lonesome George

Every now and then George closes his eyes for a few centuries the stars stop for the occasion and the sun goes out, his night lit only by dream...

"Hello, big boy," she says, shell new and lustrous, green as the deep sea; and her eyes deep as the dark gems that glow deep where it roots...

George, lifting his nose skyward still seeing her behind his closed eyes moves forwardslow as lava oozing from the bottom of the sea

His scaled feet arch like trees first planted then pulled up from their roots...

"I'm coming," he says.

Written by, Steve Campbell

"Lonesome George" is the name given by biologists to the last surviving male Giant Galapagos Tortoise. There are no surviving females.

The entire Giant Galapagos Tortoise species was destroyed directly by humans. The tortoise's shells were used to make tourist trinkets. The shell is part of the tortoise's body (like turtles). Without their shell, they die much like a human having their skin removed (I imagine, equally as painful).

The animal was usually still alive when it's 'soft' body was cruelly cut out from it's shell. In countries like China, and the Island of Bali, this brutal and unethical practice of live tortoise/turtle slaughter continues.

George is approximately 90 years old. In 2008, great efforts were made to help George produce offspring by fertilizing eggs of a 'close' relative species. Sadly, the experiment failed.

George is the rarest known creature in the world and... the loneliest.